George W. Bush famously wanted to be known as the “education president.” Paul Gies has something similar in mind now that he has been named the president at VoApps.
Gies was promoted last week at VoApps, a provider of direct-to-voicemail solutions used by collection agencies to communicate with individuals.
Gies has spent the past three years at VoApps and was most recently the company’s senior vice president of sales. He replaces Mark Chapman who left the company to pursue an opportunity in the healthcare industry.
One of his primary goals as president of the company is to invest in educating the ARM industry about the company and the innovative technologies that are out there to improve right-party contact rates and recovery efforts.
“We’re the innovators in the space,” Gies said this week during a phone interview with AccountsRecovery.net. “Technology can be used to provide a better customer experience. It shouldn’t be frowned upon. It should be embraced. That’s the message we want to send.”
The industry has been reluctant to adopt new technology, especially new communication-related technology, out of a fear of a lawsuit from an individual alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Agencies, by and large, believe that sticking to technology and communication methods that have been deemed by judges across the country not to violate the TCPA are the best choice and anything that could end up getting an agency sued is something to be afraid of.
However, over the past few years, more and more agencies are coming around on the technology offered by VoApps and other providers, and Gies hopes his company’s educational efforts will continue to foster acceptance and adoption among ARM companies.
“The ARM industry in and of itself are not fast movers when it comes to technology,” Gies said. With all of the uncertainty in regulations and penalties they face, it makes them slow to adopt. The companies that are doing the best are adapting to new technologies – it helps them run their business more efficiently.”
The solution offered by VoApps, Gies said, changes the whole tenor of a communication and even a relationship between an individual and a collection agency.
“A collection call is not an easy call to make,” Gies said. “It can be interrupting to your day. Even if your client answers, they might not be in a position to have a conversation and can be caught off-guard. Leaving a voicemail allows consumers to respond on their timeframe. They can listen to the message at their convenience. The whole tenor of the conversation changes. It puts the debtor in control of the process and leads to better interactions.
“It’s also better for agent morale. Agents are not getting beat up talking to people who don’t want to be reached. It’s a better customer experience for both sides.”
Gies said that VoApps will be working hard to get that message across to the industry.
